Summit Ridge - A Room With A View

Despite the growing number of hotels and B&Bs in Tagaytay, those that can offer excellent accommodations without breaking the bank are few and far between.

Summit Ridge Hotel continues to top our list for Tagaytay family getaways. It is a hotel in every sense of the word, complete with room service, restaurant, function rooms, gym, swimming pool, spa, housekeeping, and laundry services. It was developed by Robinson's Land Development so the quality of the facilities are top-notch. The rooms are clean and well-maintained and come complete with the indispensable safe and hair dryer. ;)

Here are the highs and lows of choosing Summit Ridge:

(1) All rooms have a great view of Taal Lake. This also means that all rooms are fronting the main highway. Expect a lot of noise from howling winds and passing vehicles, even during the night. If you or any of your family members are light sleepers, this may not be the best choice for you.

(2) Food at the restaurant is good, though choices are limited - mostly Filipino fare. If you're craving for other types of food, Gerry's Grill, Gilligan's, Starbucks, Sizzling Pepper Steak, Bacolod Chicken Inasal, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Shakey's, and other eateries are within walking distance.

(3) If you have kids, you will love the garden where they are free to run around and the clean swimming pool that is bigger than what most hotels in the area have to offer. There is also a mini arcade above Robinson's Supermarket.

(4) The hotel has a mini walkway leading to Robinson's Supermarket, which has a grocery, drugstore, and bakery.

(5) All rooms come with cable TV. The numerous channels should cover most of your favorites and then some. There is no DVD player though.

(6) All rooms come with showers, but no bathtub. If you're seeking luxury rooms with bathtubs, best to look to the nearby Bed and Breakfast hotels such as Discovery Country Suites, Les Boutique, etc.

(7) The doors separating adjoining rooms can only be opened by the Housekeeping staff. This very nearly led to an incident when we decided to gather in one room for dinner and our toddler ran to the other room and playfully slammed the door shut. Since we've already latched the doors for the night, it would not have been possible to get her out without breaking a door. Thankfully, my husband had stepped in to the room  just moments before our tot decided to have her fun, so it didn't come to that. It was a close call though.

Canyon Cove - Day Trip Disappointment

Canyon Cove in Nasugbu, Batangas was a true disappointment for our day trip beach excursion. The beach was littered with garbage, the waters were brown and filthy. While this may be attributed to the fact that the past few days have been quite stormy, there's still no getting around the fact that the resort has no suitable showers for their day tour guests. The only showers available are the cluster situated next to the beach and pool areas (meant for pre-shower before jumping in the waters) and a line of around half a dozen showers set up outside the public toilets, in full view of the resort facilities. The toilet has three measly stalls and is often crowded.

Another proof of the beach's lackluster appeal was that majority of the guests preferred to use the pool instead of the actual beach. Unfortunately, the pool waters were also murky and peppered with sand and leaves.

To add to our frustrations, the restaurants refused to serve day tour guests because the resort was fully booked. This rendered the consumable P300 coupon useless. I tried using the coupon at the beach shop, only to be informed that the coupon was only valid at the restaurant. We left shortly after in search of food and better entertainment value. At P800/person, this day trip was a certified bust!

Gymboree Music

Listen to your tot's favorite Gymboree tunes for FREE! Simply visit the Music section of the Parachute Express website(http://www.parachuteexpress.com/?page_id=85) and click on a CD to listen to a song (subject to availability for free play on the site.

"Bubbles" can be found in the Feel The Music album, while "Shakin' It" is in the Shakin' It album. Enjoy!

Top Television Show Choices for Toddlers

While I believe that too much TV is hazardous to a tot’s physical and mental well-being (perhaps even emotional? I swear my daughter gets extra bratty after watching Dibo The Gift Dragon!), I do admit to being part of the guilty ranks of mothers who give in to it as a means of getting a few minutes of peace or as a quick remedy to a brewing tantrum. I do, however, try (it's mostly a losing battle on my end, though I do still give it my best efforts) to limit her choice of shows.

For one thing, I do not find all shows under the Disney Junior banner suitable for my toddler. All the characters in Timmy Time, for example, communicate through animal sounds, which is not at all conducive to helping tots speak their first words. Not to mention that the characters eat paper, draw/paint on walls, and destroy books/toys. The concept of Dibo The Gift Dragon, wherein someone can get their wish granted simply by saying the magic words – regardless of whether they are deserving or not – does not sit well with me either. My daughter tends to emulate Bunny, who is quite vain and selfish. I once saw an episode of The Hive where one of the bees made an imaginary friend after being ignored. While all these cartoons do end on a high note with a moral lesson, it’s not likely to get through to the very young viewers. As my daughter grows older, I’m sure she’ll learn to appreciate these shows, but for now I’m keeping close tabs on her viewing preferences.

Below are the shows that top my list of preferred viewing for my toddler:

(1) WorldWorld features a world where anything can be created simply by putting together the requisite letters – i.e., build the word! The series is a great introduction to words, letters, and phonics. The characters are colorful, funny, and engaging – I’ve yet to meet a tot who didn’t like animals – and the stories are age-appropriate.

(2) Mickey Mouse Clubhouse teaches colors, shapes, numbers, and problem-solving. And who doesn't love Mickey Mouse, the pioneer of all things Disney?

(3) Barney and Friends however nauseating this purple dinosaur can be to adults, he still promotes love, friendship, family, and good manners while teaching ABCs, colors, shapes, and numbers.

(4) Special Agent Oso as annoying as the main character can be - how can someone so brainless have been accepted as an agent??? - the show features real-life problems and solutions that young children can relate to; a good deviation to the typical ABCs and 123s.

(5) Handy Manny my two-year-old daughter impressed everyone at the play school by correctly identifying a screwdriver. Thanks to the Handy Manny section in Disney Junior magazine, she is also familiar with a crane, forklift, digger, and excavator (which, she told me proudly, rhymes with elevator!).

(6) Dora The Explorer while I find Mickey Mouse Clubhouse a better and more educational alternative, this show has its good points as well. Though I'm more fond of the wide variety of Dora books than the oft poor quality animation provided by the TV series (even the original DVD offers little better quality and with no subtitles to boot).

(7) Little Einsteins if you want to introduce your toddler to classical music and fine art, nothing beats the Little Einsteins! They will take your tot on adventures around the world, all the while instilling an early appreciation for culture and arts.

Teaching Babies and Toddlers: Telling Time

If your tot can already recognize numbers (at least 1 to 10), now is a good time to introduce him/her to the concept of time. Start with the simple hours - 1 o'clock, 2 o'clock, etc. Don't worry about minutes yet. The important thing is that they can differentiate between the short and long hand and know that they base the hour on the short hand.

Give them a toy clock to practice telling time. It can be as simple as a cardboard clock with movable hands. My favorite find is Joytoy's version, which is readily available at toy stores and National Bookstore. One side of the inexpensive cardboard clock has movable hands while the other side features a clock with no hands - instead, your tot can draw the hands using a dry-erase marker. You can start teaching your child via the movable hands and use the flip side when he/she is a little bit older.

Once your child has a basic idea of how to tell time, you can reinforce the concept by referring to the real clock for times of the day that are important to him/her. For example, just before his/her favorite show comes on, you can say "Look, what time is it? The clock says it's 7 o'clock! That means it's time for Mickey Mouse!". You can also refer to the specific hour of the day that he/she will take a nap, sleep, take a bath, eat, etc. Pretty soon your tot will realize the importance of looking towards the clock in order to tell the time.

Recommended Reading: Top 10 Romance Novels

Hey fellow romance junkie! ;) If you find yourself bored while waiting for the next Julia Quinn or Lisa Kleypas book to be released, I recommend going through the list of Top 10 Greatest Romance Novels of all time:

http://www.squidoo.com/greatest-romance-novels

Some of these have already graced my bookshelf, but the rest were books and authors I've yet to try. The diversity of the characters and stories in the list of books is quite intruiging. I'm definitely going through each book - who knows? I may yet find a new favorite from a relatively old book. ;)

Love So Life - Manga Fix For Mommies

"Shiharu is a high school student who loves kids, lives in an orphanage, and works at a daycare... Until the handsome uncle of two-year-old twins offers her a raise if she'll be their babysitter. Often relying on memories of her mother's actions for guidance, Shiharu quickly finds herself falling in love with her new makeshift family." - Love So Life, mangareader.net

Lately I've found myself addicted to this series. While I find the sloooow build up of the potential love story between a high school girl and the famous uncle a bit absurd (I honestly don't know where they're going with this and there are already 27 chapters out), the accurate portrayal of the two-year-old twins is enough to keep me hooked. They can be adorable and loving in one panel and throw full-fledged tantrums the next. They are also almost always in matching clothing or costumes, cranking up the cuteness factor by several notches. Their relationships with Shiharu and their uncle is also interesting. While their uncle always talks to them in an adult manner and ends up with blank-faced expressions (or a whole lot of crying), Shiharu often finds a means of explaining things in a way that is understood by toddlers. Using her memories of her late mother to guide her in certain situations with the twins makes for a heartwarming read.

So if you ever find yourself frustrated with your tot, try going through a few chapters of Love So Life - you'll find yourself laughing and remembering what it is that makes your toddler special, while at the same time, realizing that toddlers all over the world are throwing fits and driving their parents/babysitters nuts too! Who knows? Some of Shiharu's tricks just might work on your willful tot as well ;)

Work At Home Mothers - Dissecting Myth From Reality

Image: Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Is it possible to work at home and still earn more than your past day job? Absolutely! In this age of high speed Internet connectivity, mobile devices, and numerous networking sites, there is no reason you cannot work in the confines of your own personal space, in the comfort of hearth and home.

So then you start to wonder - why don't more people do it? Why don't I do it? It's the ultimate dream job - I get to be my own boss, work at my own time and pace, spend more time with the kids, and still earn enough to...

Stop right there. Yes, it is possible to work from home. Yes, so many people have successfully set up businesses in their own houses, sold products online, became true-blue "entrepreneurs" and earned a bundle. Yes, several more people are living solely on online jobs, making use of skills such as writing, editing, programming, transcribing, clerical/secreterial work, bookkeeping, etc...

...and they do so by exerting more time and effort than is required in a 8AM-5PM day job.

Most people have the misconception that working at home equates to a cushy job with less hours and more pay. However, you will soon find that attempting to get a job done within the prescribed deadline can be quite stressful and challenging amidst constant disruptions such as telephone calls, a baby that doesn't sleep, children screaming while you're in that all-important meeting, deliveries, pesky salesmen, laundry that won't wash themselves...and oh, is it time to prepare lunch already?

You may be your own boss, but without someone to push and drive you towards completing your deliverables, you will need an extreme sense of responsibility, resourcefulness, and diligence to do it on your own - after all, there's no one around to help you! You will then discover that toiling this close to the TV, PS3/XBOX, fridge, and that cute-as-a-button toddler who wants to play with you is a form of torture in itself. Eventually, you will realize that by the time you've completed your tasks for the day, you've put in the same amount of hours as you've done in an office - likely even more.

Trying to start your own business is even worse. If you want to earn enough to merit quitting your day job, you will spend most of your waking hours (and a good bit of the ones you normally use for sleeping) making and selling your product, and catering to discerning, pushy clients.

With the right frame of mind and a proper set of expectations, however, you can work from home and earn a good deal of money. Here are some of the many opportunities available for you:

(1) Find online jobs that suit your skills - The most popular of which are content/SEO writing, programming, virtual assistance, web design, and transcribing. The hardest thing about this would be filtering the scams and non-paying employers from the legitimate ones. Pinoy Home Worker provides tips, information, and sites to help get you started.

(2) Start an online business - While this may be the most rewarding of jobs, this is also the most grueling. There is no longer an "office" or "company" that handles all the little details of tax, inventory, bookkeeping and expenses - it's all in your hands now. The good news is that there are a lot of resources - both offline and online - to guide you on your path to entrepreneurship. If you're new to online selling, Multiply and Sulit are good places to start. Make the most of seminars and expos to gain more ideas, suppliers, clients, and contacts.

(3) Offer tutorial services - More and more working parents are turning to tutors to help their children cope with the current school system, which, in the recent years, has began the trend of bombarding students with tons of projects, assignments, fast-paced learning and foreign methods (Singapore math, anyone?). If you're already helping your child with his/her studies, you may want to consider adding 1-2 more kids to earn extra money. Who knows? This may be the beginning of your new career as a tutor/teacher.

(4) Bake/Cater - If you're handy in the kitchen, you'll be loved by moms who are not. Sell cakes and brownies  (these are very popular as party souvenirs) or make packed lunches or meals for moms who are too busy to cook (or just don't know how!).

(5) Write A Book - Seriously, if you have a great story to tell, write it. Gone are the days when you have to print several copies of your work, send it to a publisher via snail mail (with a SASE, of course) and wait several months for a rejection letter. There are a lot of online publications that pay well - and deal with you electronically. Duotrope's Digest is a good source for such publishers. The downside to this profession is that it make take years before you get your big break - unless your name is JK Rowling or Stephenie Meyer.

Rainy Day Activities for the Active Toddler

Rainy days + Active toddlers = Stressed Out Mommies!

Here are some activities to keep toddlers busy while waiting for Mr. Sun to reappear (assuming that you don't want your TV tuned to Disney Junior all day):

(1) RED LIGHT, GREEN LIGHT. When you shout "Green Light", your toddler is free to run around. When you shout "Red Light", he/she has to freeze until you say "Green Light" again. My daughter loves this game and it does come in handy. Once, my tot was running straight for disaster and wouldn't stop no matter what we shouted. I finally screamed, "RED LIGHT!!!" and she automatically froze.

(2) HUNT AND GATHER. Arm your tot with a basket or bucket and have him/her gather toy bugs, fruits/vegetables, easter eggs, etc. (depending on what toys are readily available) that you have scattered (or hidden) around the house. You can have your toddler count or identify the objects along the way.

(3) BUILD A FORT. Tie a blanket to some furniture to make a makeshift tent/fort so your child can have a pretend campout within your home! Note that if you do this once, your tot will likely ask you to do it again and again. Proceed with caution unless you're cool with seeing a blanket draped over your furniture every now and then.

(4) GET CRAFTY. It can be something as simple as getting out the crayons, paint, and coloring books, or an arts and crafts project (Want more? Check out Toddler Craft). This is a good opportunity to bond with your child. I often sit quietly and paint/color along with my tot. It's a great way to wind down and de-stress.

(5) HIDE AND SEEK. Nothing beats a classic! Have your child close his/her eyes and count to ten while you find a suitable hiding place. Then the search begins! This teaches your child to wait patiently and practice counting skills while engaging in fun and active play. If your toddler is too young, you might want to consider having someone guide him/her through the process of the game.

(6) HOP ABOARD! Have your tot hold on to your waist and march around the house as you pretend to be a boat, plane, train, or car. Sing songs (i.e., Row, Row Your Boat) as you move along. Grab Daddy, Granny, Yaya, or whoever you pass by to make a longer (and merrier!) line.

(7) DANCE! Crank up the music and let loose! Bring out some toy instruments (maracas, castanets, tambourine, drums) to add to the fun.

(8) HEAD, SHOULDERS, KNEES, and TOES. Another classic activity that helps your tot learn about body parts. Click here for the music and lyrics for this and other popular children's songs.

(9) THUMB THROUGH OLD PHOTO ALBUMS. Take this time to reminisce and teach your toddler about your family as you show him/her your family photos.

(10) READ A BOOK. If you haven't had the time to sit down and read to your child, now is the perfect time to do so. :)

Have fun, hang loose, and don't worry - the sun will shine again!